The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-09-09


the vines without the door. A glass
Of wine waspoured out and set before
me, and after alt these little Offices
came soft caresses. a. kiss a touch
OF a hand upon my cheek The most
towing and tender Sting Nas Iths5
sprite, and / lonead to see 1t with q
longing indescribable. / was no long
err unhappy. / grew almost gay
still Grove my servants away, but it
was that this unseen being might man
fest itself 10 me-.
You, my dear friend, / remember
used to congratulate me on my re.
covered spirits. aesfess ted srca the
cause. I dreaded That q reyeiatIon
Of the truth might drive my spirit
love forever from my side.
/ have told you all that there is to
tell, / think. After all, when one
comes to write it down it is not 30
much. / sum it up in these few words:
WheusyeT / was alone this unseen
form was beside me. At night ] felt a
woman's cheek against my own, q
hand upon my brow. a breath ming
ling with my own; by day there was q
loving, nlinistering creature at my
side. / prayed for an audible word,
for one glimpse of this fond being,
over and over again, but | heard and
saw nothing. The longing Within me
grew intense. / pleaded with heaven
for more than had been given me. At
last my prayer was answered. Ny
own hand was seized as / sat at my
writing table. Great irregular char
acters dashed across the paper. They
read thus;
"You ask for what would give you
pain. Let matters remain as they
are. One is near you who loves you
so that her spirit has won its way
earthward to minister unto you"
wrote beneath these lines: "Let
me see her.
And then this was written: "You
shaIlhave your way. Tonight you
shall see her.
How | waited for tonight's COM
inql How eagerly my eyes sought to
pierce the shadows Of the gathering
twilightl sent my servant away up
on an errand which must detain him
TOR hours, and forbade him to Light.
"a lamp.
AS the shadows thickened Igrew
more and more restless. Had / been
deceived2 Would my wish actually
be gratified? Where were the hands
that were usually towering about me2
What was this feeling of loneliness
and d~esolation2 My eyes wandered
from spot to spot. They saw moth
- TL~ M~----41 M~1-.M ELA-tr~ =
moonless night, and only the pale
stars looked in between my window
curtains. Still / watched, growing
hopeless, fearing unat I had driv-
en- my ministering spirit from me-
but at last, as / sat staring
into vacancy, a light more brilliant
than the starlight filed the room.
AS it grew a low, soft breathing like
that Of q muffied drum fell upon my
( ear, and slowly, amid thessoft, hazy
radiance, a picture began to grow
female figure lying prone, with it's
hands upon it's breast, and a wealth
of hair falling about it like a veil. At
first a mere oEtline, at last vivid in
every form and tint-a dead woman;
with eyes half open, and pale lips
apart-a beautiful, awful thlng-Arline
as | had seen her last in the awful
silence Of the morgue.
My friend, the time is coming fast
when i also shall pass into that
world she has so long inhabited.
Shall / meet her there2I am not wor-
thy, and I know it well, but if a part
ed human soul, the soul of a weak
and rash woman like Airline, a thus
forgive, what may we not hope from
an august CREATOR? I await the hour;
that sweet spirit comes no more to
me. The bonds OF life are breaking.
Beyond the darkness a faint light IS
shining, ahd it may be that her hands
shall clasp mine yet somewhere be.
yond the reach Of sin and sorrow.
Adieu, my friend. Whether thou
believest me mad or not, thou shalt
know my story,
Thine. AdOlph La Mar.